Jennifer Nettles Band Member Paul Gordon Dead at 52

The music community has lost a widely respected player, writer and producer whose influence impacted country music and well beyond. Paul Gordon, who has most recently played with Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles in her solo career, has passed away.

Gordon died in Nashville on Thursday (Feb. 18) in Nashville after an unspecified illness. He was 52 years old. Nettles shared the news with fans via Instagram, writing, “Today we lost one of our precious own, Paul Gordon. Prayers for your beautiful family. May your Journey be sweet. You will forever play on in our hearts.”

Paul Christian Gordon was born in Newport, R.I. in 1963, and enjoyed a long and varied career, playing with the New Radicals in the 1990s, and then playing both guitar and keyboards or working as a writer or producer with a long string of artists that included the B-52's and Lisa Marie Presley. The Newport Buzzlists Natasha Bedingfield, Prince, Danielle Brisebois, Carly Smithson, Nona Hendryx, Brenda K. Starr, Chaka Kahn, Mandy Moore, Charles and Eddie, Noel, John Gregory, Eran DD, Wild Orchid, David Yazbek, Anna Wilson and more among his many credits.

Gordon was also a well-known composer for film and television, writing or co-writing more than 1,000 pieces of music various projects over the years. Among his compositions are the themes for Digimon and Wild Force Power Rangers, as well as contributions to a wide array of soundtracks. He had toured with the B-52's from 2007 until the time of his death, and had also toured with Nettles recently.